1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there have been many information processing systems each including an information input apparatus which accepts information input from a user and an information processing apparatus which executes processing in accordance with the information received by the information input apparatus. For example, the information processing apparatus causes a display surface provided to the information processing apparatus to display a screen (web page or the like) in which objects such as a text box, a button, and a link are pasted. In order to select a desired object from among the displayed objects, the user inputs information for selecting the desired object with respect to the information input apparatus. The information processing apparatus determines which object is selected by the user in accordance with the information for selecting the desired object which is received from the information input apparatus, for example. There are various technologies for the user to input information for selecting a desired object to the information input apparatus.
For example, in order for the user to select a desired object, there is technology in which, based on information transmitted from the information input apparatus provided with a touch pad, an information processing apparatus decides a position of a cursor and determines that the object which the cursor points to is the desired object. In this technology, there are two main techniques for determining the position of the cursor.
A first technique is a technique of providing a movement vector of an operating tool (hereinafter, also referred to as “operating tool-movement vector”) by a user moving the operating tool such as a finger while keeping the operating tool in contact with a touch pad provided to an information input apparatus. In this technique, the information processing apparatus calculates a movement vector of a cursor on a display surface (hereinafter, also referred to as “cursor-movement vector”) based on the operating tool-movement vector, and moves the cursor on the basis of the position of the cursor after the previous movement and in accordance with the calculated cursor-movement vector. The first technique is a technique of moving the cursor to a relative coordinate position of the operating tool on the touch pad.
According to the first technique, the user can change a coefficient (hereinafter, also referred to as “scaling coefficient”), which is used at the time of the information processing apparatus calculating the cursor-movement vector based on the operating tool-movement vector, depending on a ratio of the size of the touch pad to the size of the display surface, preferences of the user, and the like. Therefore, the user sets a large scaling coefficient in the case where the user wants to increase a movement amount of the cursor with respect to a movement amount of the operating tool, and sets a small scaling coefficient in the case where the user wants to decrease the movement amount of the cursor with respect to the movement amount of the operating tool. However, it is necessary that the user perform the operation of changing the scaling coefficient in each case, and hence, there is an issue in the first technique that the operation is burdensome.
A second technique is a technique of providing position information indicating a position of an operating tool (hereinafter, also referred to as “operating tool-position information”) by a user causing the operating tool such as a finger to touch a touch pad provided to an information input apparatus. In this technique, the information processing apparatus calculates position information indicating a position of a cursor on a display surface (hereinafter, also referred to as “cursor-position information”) based on the operating tool-position information. Since a position on the touch pad is associated with a position on the display surface at a ratio of 1:1, the information processing apparatus may calculate the cursor-position information based on the association and the operating tool-position information. The second technique is a technique of moving the cursor to an absolute coordinate position of the operating tool on the touch pad.
According to the second technique, the user can quickly specify on the touch pad a rough position of the cursor. However, since the size of the touch pad is generally smaller than the size of the display surface, there is an issue in the second technique that it is difficult for the user to specify a cursor position of a destination on the touch pad in the case where the user wants to minutely move the cursor, for example.
In order to solve the issue mentioned in the first technique and the issue mentioned in the second technique, there is disclosed technology that enables a user to switch between the first technique and the second technique (for example, see JP-A-2001-117713). That is, by using the technology, the user can switch between a mode for moving the cursor to a relative coordinate position of the operating tool on the touch pad and a mode for moving the cursor to an absolute coordinate position of the operating tool on the touch pad.